Old School (VERY) Cool Guest Post by My Mom

I've been wanting to share this for a long time, but my mom wasn't able to find the photos to accompany it. I was inspired by the subreddit r/oldschoolcool.

I love looking at old photos! And as I get older, I like learning from my parents about their lives when they were younger. My mom told me a story about when was 14 years old, and it's a fun one!

My mom's parents were pretty well-off financially (my grandpa owned an insurance business) and very well-known around the city where I grew up (Rockwood, MI). They had a big house, a big family, and my grandpa (who, sadly, I never got to meet; he passed away before I was born).

My mom was born in 1952, and when she was a young teenager, there was an English beat rock band on par with the Monkees and The Beatles. They charted six Top 20 hits in 1965 and 1966--right when my mom was at the perfect "boy band" age of 13 and 14 years old.

[Side note: When I was in elementary school, I had a custodian named Chuck Whitwam. He was fantastic! He gave me the nickname "Katydid" (like the bug). Whenever I'd see him in the halls, he'd joking say, "What did Katie done? Katydid!" It always made me feel special that he noticed me.]

Anyway, I will let my mom tell the story in her own words about Herman's Hermits. As she does, try to think back to the days before the internet when you couldn't just listen to music on a whim. When celebrities were "real" celebrities and not just social media influencers.

Here's my mom's story:

"Katie... Remember Mr. Chuck Whitwam (custodian at elementary school)? Well, years before we knew him as custodian, his (first) wife Marsha worked for my dad.

I don't know the circumstances that lead to a letter being sent to Barry Whitwam (the drummer for Herman's Hermits) in England when Chuck found out they were going to be touring in the United States.

I don't know if he thought he was related to them (because of their identical last name) or what lead to the letter, but Barry responded and accepted the invitation to meet up with Chuck and Marsha when they arrived in the Detroit area.

This was about 1965, and the Hermits were appearing on the live show "Swinging Time" in Windsor (Canada, just across the bridge from Detroit). Swinging Time had a huge outdoor stage and lots of teens would flock there for the show and dancing.

Chuck and Marsha first met Barry and the other Hermits at the show, and they took me along. We were invited to go back to the Hermits hotel for a visit and pictures.

[Stop for a sec... can you even IMAGINE this happening these days?! As a 14-year old girl who is totally into this boy band, getting not only to meet them, but to hang out with them?!]

Here are some photos from the hotel room (my mom is the one wearing the dress with the white collar and the black ribbon). Barry Whitwam is wearing the blue shirt.

I spy, with my little eye, Keith Hopwood in a towel 😂

In 1966, Herman's Hermits were touring again in the United States. I don't know the details of the invitation, but they made a plan for another visit with us.

Chuck and Marsha lived in a duplex (upper flat, I think) and Marsha was about eight months pregnant. They panicked--"How are we going to entertain Herman's Hermits?!"

My dad had a boat and he told Marsha that he could take their guests in the boat to water ski. (My dad didn't have a clue who was he going to be entertaining.)

Herman's Hermits were right up there under The Beatles at this time. I was 14 years old and flipped out with excitement! Then I knew we couldn't make it public, because there would be a mob at our house--so only a few knew about it ahead of time.

Two of the Hermits came--Barry, the drummer; and Keith, the guitarist.

Following the boating and skiing, they came back to our house, hung out drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and playing pool. The guy in the white is Keith Hopwood; Barry Whitwam is in black and white.

Needless to say, it was the highlight of my teen years!

P.S. These photos were taken with my Brownie Fiesta camera. The film had to be taken to the drug store to be developed--it took over a week to get them back! [Torturous when you're dying to share it all with your friends]

---

After hearing this story from my mom, I was in awe. Can you even imagine? This was way before internet stalkers. Some random guy (the janitor from my elementary school, before I was even born yet) had the same last name as someone from a super popular band. So he writes a letter (in an envelope with a stamp!) and mails it to him, and must have claimed they were family. So the uber-famous musicians said, "Hey, sure, we'll come hang out with you guys while we're in Detroit!"

I find it so funny! But such a fun experience for my mom.

By the way, she said that the Hermits were VERY nice people and she enjoyed their company very much!

In case you're more my age than my mom's age (haha) here is a video of a popular Herman's Hermits song:

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Sleep!

I'm posting this to keep my blogging streak going--I hoped not to have to do many of these non-posts, but I am SO tired--I'm sorry. I was literally just falling asleep on the couch with Jerry (wrapped in my heating pad and covered with a warm blanket--so cozy!) and I desperately wanted to just let myself sleep there all night.

I haven't slept much the last few days (maybe four hours a night?) so it totally caught up to me today. I will write a real post tomorrow!

But since I haven't been posting any recent pictures lately (both because there hasn't been a real reason to and also because I still feel self-conscious of my weight right now), I took a couple of selfies earlier today that I'd been planning to use for "real" posts, haha.

Anyway, I am going to sleep now. Good night!

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RECIPE: Cheese Grits with an Egg

This is really so simple that it's hard to post it as a "recipe"; but it's one of my go-to's. Especially when I am counting calories!

If you like macaroni and cheese but you don't want to spend a trillion calories on it, this is the best replacement I can think of. I didn't eat grits while I was growing up, so I really didn't know anything about them.

However once I tried them this way, I was obsessed. I eat them them all the time! They are especially good topped with an egg and/or sautéed Brussels sprouts.

I wish I could say that my whole family loves them, but I'd be lying. I just don't understand it. But don't listen to them--try these for yourself and decide. They are delicious!

Here is a printer-friendly copy of the recipe!

Cheese Grits with an Egg

Ingredients:

1/4 cup quick-cooking grits (this is the kind I use--Amazon affiliate link)
3/4 cup to 1 cup water (I use somewhere in between... roughly 7/8 of a cup)
3/4 of a chicken bouillon cube (I just break this in my hands and use about 3/4 of the cube)
(Alternatively, you could use 3/4 to 1 cup of chicken broth instead of the water + cube)
1 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 large egg
1 tsp. butter

Directions:

In a (large) serving bowl (you want a size that won't cause the grits to boil over, similar to oatmeal), add the grits and water + bouillon (or broth). Microwave for 3 minutes and 30 seconds (or whatever time is recommended on the box of grits.

Meanwhile, heat a small skillet on medium heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, add the egg. Once the egg looks like it's cooked about halfway through, add a tablespoon or so of water and then place a lid on the skillet. Don't turn the egg over. The steam will finish cooking the top of the egg, so your egg will be perfectly cooked with a runny yolk.

When the grits are done cooking in the microwave, give them a good stir. They will thicken up as they stand. Add the cheese to the grits and stir well, until the cheese melts and blends in with the grits.

When the egg is done cooking (the white is cooked through but the yolk is still runny) top the grits with the egg.

This makes one serving. If making several servings, I'd suggest cooking the grits on the stove, per the instructions on the box (using chicken broth instead of water).

If you've never tried grits, this is the best way to try them! They are delicious, and I'll eat them for breakfast, lunch, or dinner :)

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Back to School!

How cute was I on the first day of preschool? That is my friend Sarah with me--our moms got a first day of school photo of us together every year.

I fell down a rabbit hole today and spent all day there.

It started when I turned on a documentary this morning. It was about hospice care, and ever since my grandma was dying of Alzheimer's, I have always thought that being involved in hospice care would be a great field for me. I think that my empathy would come into good use.

However, I have no interest in being a nurse. In an ideal situation, I would be a grief counselor or something like that for the families and what they are going through while their loved one is dying.

Before I get into all that, let me explain my college background:

When I was in high school, there was only one option when I got out--go to college. In my generation, college was forced upon us and as far as parents were concerned, there were no other choices. And now, most of my friends who got their bachelor degrees in this or that aren't even using them.

I wanted to be various things growing up, but I ultimately decided I wanted to be a psychotherapist. And silly me, I thought if I majored in psychology, I could use that degree to be a therapist. I enrolled in Eastern Michigan University and started college in the fall of 2000. I declared my major as psychology, and began all the general education requirements, as well as some psych classes for electives.

It wasn't until two years later that I discovered that you can't really do anything with a psychology degree. What I'd needed was a Master of Social Work. By that point, I was two years into college and I had no idea what to do. But I needed to figure something out, and fast.

Since the Registered Nursing program at the community college is only two years (after the general education requirements), I thought that maybe I could get into that. I applied, and was rejected due to my GPA. It's really stupid how they calculate points to choose the nursing candidates.

It's a point system, and you earn points for things like GPA, test scores, in-county living, etc. Well, the biggest point-earner is from GPA. You pretty much have to have a 4.0 to get in. The GPA they use is your cumulative GPA from your most recently attended school (whether high school or college).

So, they looked at my GPA from Eastern, and it wasn't great (I think 2.8?). The counselor suggested that I take just one simple class at community college (a physical education class, an "easy A"). And then that would give me a 4.0 on their point system. Isn't that ridiculous?!

I didn't want to waste a whole semester on a PE course, so I looked into a certification program for Medical Assistant. It was only a one-year program and then I'd be done. I signed up for the required courses, and actually got a 4.0 (in all five classes!). Then, halfway through the one-year program, they canceled the Medical Assistant certification! So, I'd taken those classes for nothing.

Now, I really was desperate. I applied for a dietetics program at another community college, but I was also getting married, and I ended up declining the spot. I just wasn't feeling it. Instead, and I have no idea what possessed me to do this, I signed up for some Criminal Justice courses. About a week in, I dropped those classes (because why was I taking them?!). I was promoted to assistant manager at Curves, where I had been working, and decided to drop out of college.

I just couldn't figure out what it was I wanted to do... I didn't feel a passion toward something, and the few things I did think I'd enjoy (like a psychotherapist), I didn't have the patience (or money) to go through the entire program.

I don't regret quitting college at ALL. It just wasn't for me! I went because I felt like that was my only option. I paid student loans for several years after Jerry and I got married. And then I got on with my life. I had a couple of kids, I left Curves and worked for my OB/GYN from home until he didn't need me anymore (I scanned in all of the charts to electronic medical records).

So, fast forward to today. I started watching the documentary about hospice care, and out of curiosity, I dug out my old college papers. I was curious about what would happen if I applied for nursing again (I don't know why--I really don't want to do nursing!).

When I made an account and signed in, I noticed on the community college website that I am just two credits away from an associates degree. I had no idea! I had 56 credits at EMU, but not all of them transferred. (I earned 28 at the community college.)

With the credits earned at the community college and the transferred credits from EMU, I have 58 (I need 60 for an Associate of Science degree). I've fulfilled all of the general education requirements, so now I just need 2 credits from any class I choose to finish the degree.

(And yes, I checked with the registrar to see if my 100-year old credits were still good--they are.)

I don't need the degree for anything, but I figured that since I'm so close to getting it, it can't hurt. I can take a class that genuinely interests me. There is one called Mental Health, which might be cool. Or a coding class could be useful.

Or I could take a couple of phys ed classes (there is literally a class called "Jogging"--and I'm pretty sure I could teach it, hahaha). That's just one credit, so I could take a second phys ed class (Fitness Walking?).

While the mental health or coding would be interesting, I think I may go with the latter option. The classes are super cheap and I wouldn't need to spend a fortune on books. And the best part is that exercising will literally be graded, so I can't skip workouts or slack off. I have to show up and do what is required to get the credits.

I don't need to finish the associates degree because I don't plan to use it for anything; but being so close to completing it, why not?

So, I spent the day elbows deep in all my old paper work and new forms to fill out for transcripts to try and figure out some plan--I even looked into the social work idea, but it would require exactly 100 years and $1 billion to complete it.

The registration for summer classes don't start until the end of next month, so I don't know exactly what my options are (the schedule isn't listed yet). But I'm pretty sure I'll be going back to school for a semester 😂 I'm really tempted to register for one of Noah's classes. Wouldn't that be so fun for him, having his almost-40-year old mom in his class? ;)

Speaking of going back to school, I took Eli to his open house tonight for high school. Unlike Noah, Eli is going to the regular high school and not the community college for dual enrollment. Eli really wants to stay at his school (to be with his friends and to make sure he can play baseball in the spring). I don't want to push him into it, even though the middle college that Noah goes to is an amazing opportunity. It's not for everyone.

Eli's high school will be the same school that I graduated from in 2000! (I cannot believe it's been 20 years!). We sat in the school cafeteria for a presentation, and then we walked around the school. I showed him my old locker and the group of lockers I used to "hang out" at with my Kindred friends. I pointed out my favorite classroom (journalism with my favorite teacher EVER, Mr. Sontag).

Eli seems so nonchalant about high school. He said he's not nervous, but he's not excited, either. While Noah is extremely self-sufficient in getting his work done and knowing what he needs to do, Eli just goes with the flow. I think that the high school will be better for him, honestly.

Anyway, it was fun to go to my high school and walk around, feeling nostalgic. Next time I step foot in a classroom, I'll be the one random old person among all the 18-year olds, hahaha. And you know what's the best part about it? With age comes wisdom--and unlike in high school, I don't give a shit about what people think of me! :)

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10 Things I'd Like to Learn (a writing prompt)

Nothing new to write about today, so I picked a writing prompt from my jar and I think this is a fun one: Things I'd Like to Learn!

I will preface this by saying that I don't actually think I am going to learn all of these things in my lifetime--that would be extremely difficult, if not impossible--but if I had the means and the time and all that, these are things I would find interesting to learn.

1) A Second Language

I've always wanted to learn to speak another language (fluently) but I just have never dedicated the time that it takes to get very far. I remember when I was a kid (maybe 10?) I bought a French translator book from Walden's (remember that book store?!). I bought it just because I wanted to learn French.

I always had an interest in American Sign Language, too, and I took several classes over the years for that. I remember a lot of it, but not enough to really converse with someone. And I definitely don't know the language structure. The signs are much easier to remember than the structure of ASL.

When I went on a class trip to Washington D.C., we got a day to ourselves to go wherever we wanted in the city. Most of the other kids went to the touristy places, but I chose to go to Gallaudet University (a college for the deaf). I find it so funny that I chose that! But it was awesome. I even attempted a conversation in ASL with some students at a café.

A couple of years ago, after "chatting" with a deaf man in Boston, I really wanted our whole family to do an online course in ASL. Now, I feel like I missed the opportunity because my carpal tunnel has gotten so bad. It flares up whenever I do something that requires me to move my wrists a lot.

In high school, I took four years of Spanish. I can read Spanish very well, but I have no idea what I'm reading! Haha. I love that Spanish is so simple in terms of pronunciation and the grammar "rules"--unlike English, which has a trillion exceptions to all the rules. I think I could probably learn Spanish fairly easily if I was (were?) to live in a Spanish-speaking area for a while. (See? I don't even know English.)

How funny is this photo (below) from 1999? 😂 My mom and I went to San Diego, and we headed down to Tijuana for a day. This guy was offering photos with a sombrero while sitting on a donkey/zebra/zonkey?

Anyway, I think learning another language would be great! If I had to choose just one, I'm not sure what I'd pick... but I think if I didn't have to take the time to learn it, Russian would be awesome to know!

2) Speed Reading

I've mentioned several times that I'm a very slow reader. I'm not sure why that is! I don't skim--I process every word in my mind. I don't know if that's normal or not, but I just don't understand how people read a whole book in a day!

I know there are "tricks" to speed reading, and I looked it up online once, but it was overwhelming. And when I tried it, I didn't have any idea what I just read. So, maybe this is just a talent that you're born with.


3) How to play Flight of the Bumblebee on the piano

My friend Mike, who now lives in NYC, plays the piano. He played in Kindred, the band that my friends were in during our high school years; and now, he teaches piano lessons to rich kids in the city ;)  (When I visited him a few years ago, I went along to one of his lessons--it was in a $6 million apartment! Watching him teach a lesson to a five-year old boy was cute, though.)

Anyway, when we were in high school, Mike played Flight of the Bumblebee (which is super fast and a complicated piece to play). After that, every time we were around a piano, I asked him to play it. I was mesmerized by it! And I think it would be super fun to play.

I took piano lessons when I was eight years old, and never really got further than "Jingle Bells", hahaha. The photo below was from my very first (and only) piano recital. I didn't want to do it, but my older brother, Brian, told me he'd buy me a whoopie cushion if I did.

So, duh. I did it!

4) How to swim

I know how to "swim" as in "not drown", but I think it would be awesome to really know how to swim different strokes to use lap swimming as a form of exercise. There are a couple of problems with this, however...

I'm extremely self-conscious in a bathing suit; I hate being in water; AND my loose skin (especially on my thighs and upper arms) is super uncomfortable when swimming. So, I don't see it ever happening, but it's something I'd like to learn if those things didn't hold me back.

Clearly, my parents were very concerned with safety when they put this life jacket on me.

5) How to juggle

This is so random! But I used to be able to juggle when I was about 12, and it was fun impressing my friends. Since then, I have certainly lost the skill. Occasionally, I'll try it (usually when holding in-shell walnuts for the squirrels), but it's pretty hopeless. This is something I could probably do again if I practice enough!


6) Solve a 3x3x3 Rubik's Cube

You'd think I should know this, given the fact that my 14-year old son can solve it in under 20 seconds! I'm even taking him to a competition in a couple of weeks. I can solve it when I look at the cheat sheet of algorithms, but how Eli has those memorized, I'll never know. That kid amazes me.

Did I share this video? I don't think I did! Remember I bought him the 13x13x13 Rubik's Cube for Christmas? He solved it in about 7 hours, if I remember correctly. Now, he can solve in in about 90 minutes. This video is a time lapse, and it took him just under 2 hours.



7) How to do a super impressive hip hop dance

I think it would be so funny if I (someone who never dances) just randomly busted out some super crazy hip hop moves at a wedding reception or something! That would be the most unlike-me thing I ever did!

(There was that time that I may have had too much to drink at Sarah's bachelorette party and I danced on chairs, though...)

8) How to do mental math super fast

When playing my Lumosity and Peak games on my phone, I am HORRIBLE at the mental math games. I know my times tables up to 11 because I have them memorized, so I can divide those numbers fast as well. But when it comes to adding and subtracting, I have to use my fingers! And if I have to borrow or carry numbers over or any of that, it ends my game, hahaha.

I'm not stupid--if I have a piece of papers, I can do all the math. However, like reading, it just takes me longer. I'd love to learn mental math so I can kick ass on my games!

9) How to develop an app

I have a really great idea for an app, but I don't have the first clue how to start. I looked into having it developed for me, and it can cost upwards of $100,000! So, as of now, my app idea is just a pipe dream.


10) Auto repair

As I've mentioned, my dad has been an auto mechanic for his entire adult life. He owned his own auto shop when I was growing up, and then he started working from his own garage. People have always trusted him with their cars and he never overcharged anybody (in fact, he should have been charging more).

I wish I knew when I was younger just how important a skill it is. All I remember about it from when I was little was that he would pay me a few dollars to help him "bleed the brakes" of a car--that makes me feel nostalgic! Anyway, I can't tell you how many thousands of dollars he's saved me over the years. I've never had to take a car into a shop--my dad has always done the work on it.

His health isn't the greatest anymore, and he's working on cars less and less. I wish I'd taken time to learn from him. It was fun when, in the fall, he taught me how to change my oil (and check the other fluid levels in my car). Just recently, he taught Noah how to change spark plugs--I was thrilled that Noah wanted to learn that!

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Bingeing on The Purge (also, a look at Noah's photography)

Okay, I apologize, but this is kind of a cop-out post. This morning, I took Eli to his baseball practice, and then when I got home, I spent the entire day working on my master bathroom floor (fixing the problems from when we did the epoxy countertop in there).

Finally, at 5:30, I made dinner and I was exhausted. I started watching The Purge (the TV show) and I just can't stop! Hahaha. I keep thinking, "After this episode, I'm going to write a blog post..." and it just isn't happening.

So, I'll just share with you a few photos that Noah took yesterday. Noah is very interested in photography, and my brother, Brian, lent him a "fancy" camera to practice with. He likes taking pictures of the squirrels and the cats.

Here are a few recent ones. I LOVE the squirrels in the snow! It's been snowing pretty much non-stop for three days now; which is odd, because two days before the snow, it was 54 degrees!

Anyway, here are Noah's photos. Isn't he a great photographer?!

My very favorite picture:

Noah just started a photography Instagram account, and he asked me if I'd share it on my blog so that people could follow him. I'd love for him to get the support and confidence he needs to keep doing it! So, if you're on Instagram, maybe check out his account (he only has a few pictures on there right now). He's @noahphotography.jpg on Instagram.

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Update on the "No Snacking After Dinner" Challenge

It's only been about five days since I started the challenge, but I thought I'd write a little about it here and how it's going so far.

In case you missed it, I decided to try a 30-day challenge as part of my 40 Goals By 40 Years Old list. The goal is to COMPLETE a 30-day challenge. I've attempted to do several in the last couple of years, but I just can't seem to do it! I've done longer ones, but there is something about 30 days that is the most challenging for me to stick with.

As anyone who reads my blog knows, I love setting goals and doing challenges for myself. I can't even tell you how many notebooks I have filled with lists of goals. And I bet I've only completed about 5% of them, hahaha.

So, for this 30-day challenge, I decided to try not snacking after dinner. No snacks and no caloric drinks. Tea and sparkling water are okay, but other than that, nothing. I used to eat dinner at 4:00 and then have some sort of treat or snack at 8:00, but with Jerry's work schedule, we eat dinner at 6:30 now.

I was expecting this to be REALLY difficult to do, because I tend to eat most of my calories at night. Not binge eating (it's been a very long time since I actually binged!) but just not eating much during the day and then eating way too much at night.

I've also been counting calories this week to hopefully drop some pounds before my 10-year anniversary of losing 100 pounds. It'd be nice to get back to that weight (153) before the anniversary. I can't remember the date off the top of my head, but I believe it's the end of July or early August.

Anyway, about this week so far...

I was very surprised at how easy it's been! Having dinner at 6:30 (and making a home cooked meal) has made me not hungry to the point where I don't even really think about food after dinner. Usually, after we eat, Jerry, the kids and I will play a board game and then Jerry and I talk and watch one of "our" shows.

Something that has really helped me not to snack is playing Peak or Lumosity on my phone. When I play that, I usually chew on ice, so eating food isn't on my mind because I'm not physically hungry (and I'm keeping my mind busy).

HOWEVER...

Last night, I completely forgot that I wasn't supposed to snack after dinner! Jerry was off work, and we ate earlier than usual. Then the kids wanted to play a game, and everyone grabbed a snack. I took a couple of the fun-size bags of Oreos (they're like 130 calories each or something like that). It wasn't until after I ate them that I realized I'd forgotten not to snack.

So, I'm going to start my 30 days over today.

I think I'll plan to make dinner at 6:30 every day, even on the days Jerry is off work. That way, if I stick to the routine, I'll be less likely to forget.

Something that has been helpful as well is adding vegetables into our routine. The kids aren't thrilled that I'm implementing a rule that they can have snacks during the day, but they can only have one "treat" (which they like to have before bed).

I made a huge platter of veggies and ranch dip (just fat free sour cream with a packet of ranch dressing mix stirred in). I think seeing it this way makes it more appealing, and the kids have actually been eating from it (not much, but a little is better than nothing). And I have been eating a small plate full of the veggies with lunch every day. (Interestingly, the only thing I don't like are the carrots, which are actually the kids' favorites. I like the peppers and broccoli the most, but I also like the mushrooms and cucumbers, too.

I've been adding veggies into dinner, too (the kids don't complain about that). I just made my regular General Tso's Chicken recipe, which I normally don't add vegetables to, but I thought broccoli would be good in it. And it was easy, because my rice cooker has a steamer basket on top, so I just cooked the broccoli there before adding it to the chicken and sauce. It was SO good!

If whatever I cook doesn't have vegetables in it, then I have a small salad on the side. I love balsamic vinegar and olive oil for dressing (the vinegar is strong, so a little goes a long way). So, I just toss some spring mix greens with the oil and vinegar, and then I added a few almonds simply because I love almonds in salad. Not super exciting, but it was delicious and I I got in some more vegetables.

The challenge has worked out well so far (well, other than last night, haha). Of course, it's only been five days. I'll write more updates as I go!)

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